In a major fillip to women’s leadership, 50 percent committees of the federal parliament will be headed by female lawmakers.

As six women MPs from the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP) were elected unopposed chairpersons of the thematic committees under the House of Representatives (HoR) on Thursday, the federal parliament will have eight committees led by women.

On Thursday, chairpersons of the ten thematic committees were elected unopposed. The result will be declared on Friday.

Those elected are Purna Kumari Subedi, Niru Devi Pal, Shashi Shrestha, Kalyani Khadka, Jayapuri Gharti and Pabitra Kharel Niraula.

The National Assembly will also have two parliamentary committees led by women. The Upper House has already elected Nepali Congress lawmaker Taradevi Bhatta to chair the Sustainable Development and Good Governance Committee while the ruling NCP is set to field Nira Devi Jairu to head the joint parliamentary committee—State Directives, Policy and Liability Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation Committee.

The federal parliament has 16 thematic committees—10 in the House of Representatives, four in the National Assembly and two joint ones.

The NCP leadership has termed the election of women MPs as part of its inclusiveness policy. It also reflects that this spirit of the party will be visible at other places, said Subas Nembang, deputy parliamentary party leader of the NCP. Female lawmakers have taken this development as an important step in realising the proportional representational spirit of the constitution. From this election, proper implementation of the constitutional provision has started, said Shrestha.

In continuation of practice, the all-important Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has gone to the main opposition Nepali Congress. NC’s Bharat Shah has been elected the PAC chair.

The ruling NCP’s Krishna Prasad Dahal and Krishna Bhakta Pokharel have been elected to chair the Finance Committee, and the Law, Justice and Human Rights Committee, respectively. Bimal Prasad Sriwastava of the Sanghiya Samajbadi Forum-Nepal will lead the Industry, Commerce, and Consumer Welfare Committee.

Elections for the two joint committee chairs will be held on Sunday. Since the ruling NCP agrees to allow the Rastriya Janata Party-Nepal to lead the Parliamentary Hearing Committee, its Chief Whip Laxman Lal Karna will be elected as its chairman. Karna has been chairing the PHC as its oldest member.

Chairs of parliamentary committees

House of Representatives (elected unopposed)

• Shashi Shrestha— State Affairs and Good Governance
• Niru Pal— Women and Social
• Jayapuri Gharti— Education and Health
• Purna Kumari Subedi—Agriculture, Cooperative and Natural Resources
• Pabitra Niraula Kharel—International Affairs and Labour
• Kalyan Kumari Khadka —Development and Technology

National Assembly (elected)

• Taradevi Bhatta— Sustainable Development and Good Governance

Joint Committee (to be fielded)

• n    Nira Devi Jairu— State Directives, Policy and Liability Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation